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Snake Pit
Snake Pit is the third episode of the third series of Line of Duty and the fourteenth overall episode which was first broadcast on BBC Two on the 7 April 2016. Summary DS Steve Arnott believes there is a dark secret in Danny Waldron's past. But while DI Cottan is commended for cracking the Waldron case, the spotlight falls on Arnott's questionable conduct in a previous enquiry. Details The episode opens on the riverside, it's raining heavily and DC Kate Fleming is sat in her car watching, through binoculars, Constable Jackie Brickford stop on her bike. Constable Hari Bains appears and joins Jackie. Jackie apologies but says he's the only she can talk to about everything, Hari says it's fine. Jackie says she's struggling to cope with everything, what people are doing behind their backs and even to their faces. Hari says it because they liked Constable Rod Kennedy and don't understand why he'd commit suicide. Jackie says she feels the same. Hari tries to put her straight, that when they were struggling for the gun, he felt Rod pull the trigger and kill Sergeant Danny Waldron. Hari says that when Rod was alive it was right for them to cover for him, but now he's gone they need to move on. This upsets Jackie and Hari tries to comfort her, we see him stare ahead thinking about a million things, not really trying to comfort Jackie. Kate sees the look and immediately calls Superintendent Ted Hastings and tell him that she believes Hari is dodgy. Hastings goes to speak to Detective Inspector Matthew Cottan ("Dot") and tells him that he's authorised Kate to adopt direct surveillance on Hari and he wants DS Steve Arnott in on it too. Dot agrees and Hastings tells Steve to head straight down to South Ferry Station to see what Hari is up to and make him feel some pressure. Dot looks worries and Steve heads out. In South Ferry Station, Hari's phone chimes and there is a text message that says "Sit tight. Act normal." He looks around but put his phone away as Steve is being escorted in to see Inspector Tracey McAndrew. Steve walks in and makes a deal of looking at Hari as he closes the door. Steve wants to confirm with McAndrew the relationship with Hari and Danny. He asks if Hari ever made any complaints about Danny. McAndrew says that it was the opposite, she was due to rotate Hari out of his squad but that Hari had said he respected Danny's professionalism and want to ride on more jobs with him. Steve wants to know when he said this, McAndrew confirms it was a couple of days before the Abbott's Lane op, Steve clarifies that she means a couple of days before the op that got Danny killed. She said she was all set to disband the team after the shooting of Ronan Murphy (but the investigation caused them to be put back together) and she isn't going to be their scapegoat now. Stever stares at Hari as he leaves McAndrews office, Hari looks worried. We next see Hari driving to a remote pay phone on the corner of Calman Rd and Turner Rd, unbeknownst to him Kate is following him and see everything. Hari is looking at his mobile phone and dials the number of the text message he received +44 (0)7746 915400. Kate calls in a trace to find out the number. Hari is receiving a "The number you have called is not recognised" automated message. He looks frustrated, hangs up and gets back in his car. Dot and Steve are discussing the call Hari tried to make as Hastings walks over. Dot tells them that it's an unregistered mobile and the call could not be connected because either the phone or sim card was out of service. Steve says he has PC Maneet Bindra talking to the mobile network to see if there is any additional information they can provide. Hasting says he wants Kate on Hari Bains around the clock. Dot goes back to his desk, picks up his phone and looks worried, he heads for the door. We see Hari in his basement when the burner phone rings. He answers and is immediately told off about trying to make a call from a phone box, that he's sent a burner phone for a reason. Hari says as the text came to his personal phone he thought. The person calling him cuts in and says that was done because they needed to get a message to him urgently, and that Hari is being watched. Hari says he hasn't seen anyone. The caller gets annoyed and asks him what the text said. Hari repeats "SIt tight. Act normal." The caller asks how this behaviour is acting normal and then hangs up. Next, we see Kate meeting with Dot in their regular subway location. Dot starts in straight away that he thinks they are wasting their time with Jackie and Hari. He believes Rod killed Danny, couldn't handle the guilt and topped himself. Dot walks away at this. Kate calls after him, maybe it wasn't a suicide. Dot turns and Kate continues, says that they should get a second post mortem done. The first only looked for the cause of death, they should look for evidence of any crime. Dot says ok and to leave it with him. They both start walking off this time. Dot stops and asks Kate if she likes Chilli, the food not the country, he's got a pot on simmer. Kate thinks and then agrees. Back at Dot's lair, they are both sat on his sofa with bowls of Chilli and glasses of wine. Dot asks Kate if it's too spicy for her, she says she'll cope. Dot then if he bothers to cook he likes to make it last a few days, Kate says by the time she finishes work the only thing open is a dodgy kebab. Kate opens up about her private life, telling Dot that her husband worked from home so it was better for their son that he got custody. She says she still sees her kid, and it was the right decision for them, just not great for her. Dot says that he and his wife never got round to having kids. He reveals she was also a copper, in forensics. He says he spent most nights out on the piss, and couldn't pass a bookie's. He says the final straw was when they'd put half the money down on a holiday to Majorca and he gambled the rest on a five-to-one dead cert. He says that he couldn't go home to face to music, so instead, he took out a loan and put a grand on the last race of the day to try and win it back. Dot looks remorseful, wishing he could have changed things. Dot cleans up and Kate settles in on the sofa looking comfortable. Dot sees a newspaper about the retrial of DI Lindsay Denton, he folds it up and quietly drops it in the bin. He offers Kate a second helping, she says anymore and she won't get off the sofa. Dot looks at her like he'd rather like it if she stayed. The next day in the AC-12 office, Maneet phone's Steve to say she's got info of the childhood photo found at Danny's flat. He goes over to her desk. Maneet tells Steve that it was taken at a boys home called Sands View. She confirms that Danny's mum died when he was only 11, he'd moved up north to live with his dad and stepmom but it didn't work out and he got taken into care. He was a resident of Sands View from 13 until the age of 17. Steve says he has no connection between Danny and Ronan Murphy while Danny was a police officer, he thinks the link must be the boys home. Maneet says that she can't get hold of the records, that one council department told her they'd been lost in a fire, another said they were lost during an office move. Steve wants to know if she thinks they were lost on purpose, she says she doesn't know. She knows the lads were all chucked out at 17 and had to fend for themselves, with no follow-up. Maneet says that she's checked with individuals known to the criminal justice system and she found someone the same age as Danny, so it's likely they were there at the same time. Joe Nash's First Witness Interview with AC-12 Steve goes to see the person Maneet found, Joe Nash at his work at a carpet factory, Russett Carpets. He asks to speak to him somewhere quieter and they go and sit in Steve's car. Steve shows Joe the picture found at Danny's flat. Joe recognises it and looks immediately upset and uncomfortable. Steve asks to confirm if he recognises it. Joe says yes. Steve asks if he remembers the name of the place. Joe says yes. Steve sensing his uncomfortableness tells him that he's not in any trouble. Starting to get a little angry Joe asks him how he got his name. Steve says that it was because of his record at the time. Joe gets immediately defensive and says he was just a kid, he's put his life back together now. Steve confirms that this isn't about those offences, they are spent, it's just that his name connected with another inquiry. Joe calms down and asks if he means an inquiry into Sands View, Steve confirms it's connected to Sands View. Joe takes a breath. Steve points to Danny and asks if Joe knew him, Joe says yes it's Danny. Steve asks him to confirm that he means Danny Waldron. Joe says it is. Steve points next to one of the two adults in the photo, the one on the right-hand side and asks again if Joe recognises him. Joe says yes, but looks very uncomfortable. Steve asks him what he remembers about this person. Joe says he took them for football on a Tuesday afternoon. Steve wants to confirm if he was one of the staff. Getting agitated Joe says fiercely, "No, he just took up for footie." Steve pushes him and asks him what else he recalls. Joe looks out the window, he doesn't want to think about any of it. Steve says he's been really helpful and asks if it's ok if he can ask about one more person and points at the second adult in the picture, the one on the far left. Joe looks for a split second that's all he can manage before he has to look away. He confirms it's Murphy, the caretaker. Steve asks if the football coach was also called Murphy, Joe says it might have been, they were a pair. Steve puts the photo away and asks for more info. Joe says "The older one, the caretaker, he had the keys. For the dormitories, changing rooms, the basement. But him, the younger one, he was in on it too, with the others." Steve asks gently "What others" Joe keeps going "Not in the photo. Visitors. We got told they were very important people and we had to do exactly what they said." Steve wants to know if they ever got names of any of the people. Joe says "No. No one ever got any names. And even if we did, it was just Mr Smith." ''Steve asks for more info on what happened with the visitors. Joe looks at him, and the steals himself and answers ''"Well, sometimes they’d... They’d come to the Home, and we’d be told it was like a private interview. “Mr Smith can be a big help to you when you move on” sort of thing. You know. And then you’d go to a room with Mr Smith. Or a few of you would. With a few of them." Steve asks if the abuse always happened inside Sands View. Joe says not always, that "Sometimes there’d be a car or a minibus and they’d take us to a hotel or a guesthouse or some big... pauses Some big private home. You know? The parties... pause The parties they were the worst." Steve looks confused and asks about the parties. "There’d be a few of them, these VIPs, and we’d be farmed out." Steve asks if he remembers any identifying details, names, addresses or the people who drove them around. Joe says "This was a long time ago. All right, mate. And I wish I could remember that information and forget the rest. But pause it’s the opposite." Joe is looking haunted and Arnott is obviously moved by what he's hearing. Steve pushes him gently again to give him something, anything they could use to identify them. "Yeah, there’s one of them stands out. to start He’s a big... Big fat whale of a fella. He always wore a suit. And when he took the suit jacket off, he always had these, these... these sweat patches. He stank of it. pause And when I’d get told he’d asked for me again I’d... I’d throw up. You know. I’d be sick." Steve looks horrified at these details, Joe looks disgusted at the memories. Joe wants to know if Danny is the one. Steve doesn't know what he means. Joe asks if Danny has finally got people to listened to them. Steve pauses, then replies that yes it is Danny's doing. You can then see Steve realising the full implications of an investigation this large. After Joe Nash's First Witness Interview with AC-12 We move back to Kate still surveilling Hari as he arrives home, she calls Steve to ask if they have an update on the second post mortem on Rod that Dot was organising. Steve doesn't know what she's talking about, but he'll look into it and looks at Dot's empty desk. We cut to seeing Dot sitting in his car outside A.McLean Bookmakers. He has his wallet in his hand and he's shaking. He looks pained, he doesn't want to fall down that rabbit hole. In South Ferry Station McAndrew walks out of her office to calls over to Kate, who is sat in earshot of Hari and Jackie. McAndrew says that her Police Federation Rep just called and AC-12 want her in for interview straight away. Kate gets up and grabs her coat and walks straight out. Jackie and Hari both looked nervous and slightly terrified at what's going on. Hari and Jackie meet in the garage to talk about what's going on. Hari says that Kate doesn't know anything. Jackie says that Kate never believed them, not for a minute. Hari says she wasn't in the room, she didn't see, Jackie is still worried that Danny might have whispered something to her. Hari says that if Kate knew the truth, how did has she managed to keep it to herself for that long. Hari says for her to trust him, and Jackie nods. Hari walks away but Jackie doesn't look relieved, she still looks concerned. Back in the AC-12 offices, Maneet tells Steve that she's continued to investigate Sands View, and whilst Joe couldn't give them any names, his rather vivid description of the extremely obese person matched a person Maneet found in a press clipping for a sports day at Sands View. Steve asks who he is and Maneet says she's identified him as Dale Roach, a leader of the city council during the period Danny and Joe were at Sands View. She pulls up another press clipping which identifies him by name at a charity event. Joe Nash's Second Witness Interview with AC-12 Steve takes a print out of the photo Maneet found and shows it's to Joe, asking if that's the man. Joe confirms that it is him. Steve then goes on that it would be helpful if he could into his department and look at other individuals associated. Joe cuts him off with a loud exhalation and shakes his head. Steve tells him that he knows he doesn't understand what he's going through, that Steve had a nice childhood. Joe just shakes his head some more and tells him that it's taken twenty years for someone to come to him. He's exasperated. Steve says he wants to help. Joe says "Twenty years I’ve had that monster in my head. The sounds he made. The smell of him. And the things they did to us at Sands View -- no copper ever gave a toss." Steve asks him if that means that these offences were reported to the police an no action was taken. Joe says that they told everyone " We told teachers. We told social workers and yeah, we told coppers... And then we learned not to." Steve tells him that Danny is dead. That he was going after the men who did this to him, and Danny's mission is now Steve's mission, and he promises he'll get the bastards. Joe looks upset but slightly relieved at the knowledge. Steve leave's his house and Joe watches him through his front window. He has a nice house with games and stuffed bears and pictures of family around. Steve gets into his car and has to take a minute to compose himself after everything he's just heard. Back in Joe's house, his daughter runs in excitedly with a picture she's drawn for him. He thanks her and holds her face while telling her how much he loves her, then pulls her in for a bear hug not wanting to let her go. After Joe Nash's Second Witness Interview with AC-12 Steve enters a nurse home with a female employee, he asks how long the individual has been a resident, she says she'd have to check but 2/3 years at least. She says he has no family and gets no visitors, she shows him into a room. Dale Roach, still morbidly obese, is lying immobile in bed with his eyes open. Steve says he name repeatedly but no answer, the employee says that he doesn't understand much and he can't talk, that he had a massive stroke. Stever looks frustrated. The employee leaves and he futilely tries to communicate with Roach, get more upset that he's escaped justice. Steve is updating Hastings on his latest findings on the various connections with Sands View. Hastings reacts when Steve says that Roach was a councillor. Steve tells Hastings that Roach isn't fit to stand trial. Steve believes that Danny left a trail of evidence that would connect himself to the murder of Linus Murphy and they are now on the trail of the other abusers. Hastings says that there is only one thing they are interested in at AC-12 and that's bent coppers. Arnott confirms that the boys made multiple complaints, some allegedly to police offices. Hastings looks shocked and dismisses Steve. Jackie Brickford's Recorded Chat with Kate Fleming Kate is at her flat buttering some toast when her intercom beeps. She sees it's Jackie and buzzes her in, she puts her phone on record and goes to meet her in the stairwell. Kate asks if anything is wrong, Jackie says outright that Kate didn't come back to the station. Kate says that her shift was over when she'd finished with AC-12. Jackie wants more information. Kate says they just wanted to go over everything again, trying to find any inconsistencies to pounce on. Jackie asks if they did. Kate plays dumb. Jackie asks if they pounced. Kate tries to pull away as if she's worried about talking to Jackie. Jackie wants to know what Kate told them. Kate says she can't have this conversation, that Jackie needs to leave. Jackie is not holding it together any longer and tells Kate that she needs to know. Kate tells Jackie that she's continually asked her to leave them alone and now she's gotten what she wants. Jackie demands to know again and Kate tells her to leave. Jackie asks again but in a more reasonable tone, Kate tells her that they are on to the pair of them. Jackie pretends she doesn't know what that means, but her whole face has changed, she really worried. Kate tells her that they know Hari stopped them disbanding Danny's squad. Jackie can't believe it, she never knew. Kate continues and tells Jackie about Hari's phone calls. Jackie is getting more wound up with each new piece of information that Kate is dangling. Kate says she doesn't believe Jackie that she knows about the phone calls and walks away. Jackie increasingly desperate asks again. Kate tells her that Hari is making calls from a phone box to burner phones, she adds that they think it's her that he's been calling to communications covertly, to plan their strategy using untraceable calls. Jackie says he's not being calling her, and Kate just laughs and Jackie walks away. Kate stops the recording pleased with the progress. After Jackie Brickford's Recorded Chat with Kate Fleming At Hari's house that night Hari and Leila are sitting on the sofa when the doorbell rings. Hari leads Jackie into his garage so they can talk. The first thing she wants to know is who he's been calling, where the dodgy calls are going to, that AC-12 know and thinks she involved. Jackie starts shouting at him, that they trusted him it was the three of them and even with Rod dead it's not the end of it. Hari tries to deny it, but she shrugs and walks off not believing him. He calls after her that he's telling the truth but she keeps walking out. Outside Hari's house, Jackie gets into her car and immediately grabs her phone to call Helen her federation rep, she explains that she needs to see AC-12 and she'll need a solicitor. Kate has been watching this all unfold and looks pleased. Lindsay Denton's retrial - Prosecution Questions We find Lindsay Denton in her cell, clutching her paperwork prepared for her day in court. The door swings open and she heads out. In court, Hastings and Gill Biggeloe sits down in the public gallery to watch the proceedings. Denton is brought into the witness box to be cross-examined by the Prosecutor Ebele Falana. Ebele states that Denton brought up the undercover operation conducted by Steve Arnott several times, Denton confirms this. Ebele asks if they involved Steve being at her house, again Denton confirms. Ebele asks if they were alone. Denton says they were sometimes. Ebele asks if no other police officers were in the vicinity, Denton advises that a Constable was stationed outside the house. Ebele wants a specific location. Denton say they were on the door-step. Ebele asks where the sexual relations took place, Denton says it the bedroom. Ebele asks how the bedroom is accessed, Denton confirms via the stairs. She wants to know how far the stairs lay from the front door, Denton says three or four metres. Ebele says the exact figure is 2.7 metres from the plans of her home. Denton says if she says so. Ebele replies it's a fact and if she's inaccurate she'll be corrected. It starts to get tense between the two women. Ebele says that there are written statements from the officers stationed outside her home and not one of them recalls Steve and Denton going upstairs together. Denton says it's doesn't surprise her as they were discreet. Ebele finds this hard to believe, she asks Denton to confirm that it was this intimate relationship that allowed her to trust Steve to be in her house unsupervised. Denton says that there were times she was napping, or in the shower or bath and he was free to roam around and that she did trust him completely. Ebele says that Denton has alleged that on one of these occasions Steve planted £50k in her late mothers overnight bag and asks if she ever saw Steve bring £50k into her home. Denton says no she didn't. Ebele asks if she witnesses him having access to large sums of money. Denton counts that he'd hardly do it openly, that corrupt officers... The judge interrupts her to answer the question asked. Denton answers that she has no idea how he got the money, or how he got it into her house. Ebele triest to stop her speaking but Denton says "And I'm still answering. If I'm inaccurate, I'll be corrected." Hasting whispers to Gill "The nerve of that one." Denton keeps speaking and says "Steve Arnott had my complete trust and the trust of the officers on guard duty. He could easily have picked his moment to plant the money and I firmly believe that that is the best explanation for how it came to be there, because I had never seen that money before." Ebele starts to ask questions about the AC-12 investigation, and that Denton knew about it was supposedly cooperating. She asks Denton to confirm that she was completely honest when assisting with their enquiries. Denton says yes she was. Ebele asks if she was always completely honest with AC-12. Denton pauses and her Counsel looks slightly concerned at the question. The judge prompts her to answer. Denton says "It was a complex case and there were many details that were elusive and at times required further thought and examination before I could give a definitive answer." Ebele pushes her to be clearer and asks if Denton lied again. She pushes that Denton lied time and time again, fabricated evidence, the relationship with Steve and the planting of evidence, she asks if Denton is "an artful, devious person who has betrayed the trust placed in her as a police officer?" Denton replies "No" to each of the accusations, trying to remain cool but looking frazzled and blurts out an angry "No, I haven't" to that last one. After Lindsay Denton's retrial - Prosecution Questions Hastings and Gill are having coffee in a little cafe. Hasting tells Gill he hated watching that play out in court. He pauses and then tells Gill he's sorry about the other night, she looks blankly, he says her dinner invite. Gill says she understands he's a married man, but she does joke that there they are having a drink and the sky hasn't fallen in yet. She flashes him a flirty smile. He looks back surprised and the gently pleased at her flirting. Part II of Episode Description here - Snake PIt Part II Category:Episode Category:Series Three